A Practical Guide to Self-Hypnosis | Page 5

favorable
unconscious responses which accounted for his going under hypnosis at
that time. It created the initial break-through which was needed. I was
able to hypnotize him easily at his next appointment, and he acquired
self-hypnosis readily from that time on.
I have tried the same approach with other subjects who did not respond

favorably and have failed to attain the success that I did in the above
case. Why the impasse? It is one of the difficulties that we encounter in
hypnosis, and as yet it has not been resolved.
We know that the easiest way to achieve self-hypnosis is to be
hypnotized and given a posthypnotic suggestion that you will respond
to hypnosis by a key word, phrase or gesture. I have tried to point out
some problems that can arise. Needless to say, these problems do not
always arise, and the attainment of self-hypnosis can be a relatively
simple procedure. There is usually some way of reaching a subject who
does not respond in a reasonable length of time.
Now we come to the point where the subject wishes to hypnotize
himself. What happens in this situation? It would appear that the
subject would go under hypnosis immediately. After all, isn't he
controlling the hypnotic session? Of course, this does happen time and
time again, and the results seem miraculous. I receive mail constantly
from readers of several of my other books on hypnosis telling me how
they were able to achieve certain goals that they never dreamed
possible. They write that they have achieved self-confidence and
complete self-mastery and have been able to overcome problems that
have plagued them for many years. These problems not only include
strictly psychological troubles but many psychosomatic symptoms as
well. Many have remarked at the ease in which they were able to
achieve self-hypnosis and the results they wanted. For them it was as
simple as following a do-it-yourself book.
Others write about the difficulty they encounter and ask what to do
about it. It is my hope that this book will shed some light for those who
have experienced difficulty in learning self-hypnosis. We shall discuss
many phases of hypnosis with the emphasis on self-hypnosis. We'll
discuss its many ramifications and try not to leave out anything helpful
in our discussion.
If you follow the instructions and exercises that I give you assiduously,
you should be able to achieve a depth of self-hypnosis suitable for
solving many of your personal problems.

Chapter 2
What About the Dangers of Hypnosis?
One of the objections that you hear to hypnosis is that it can be
dangerous in the hands of those not trained in the psychodynamics of
human behavior. Inasmuch as psychiatrists and clinical psychologists
are the only ones who are thoroughly trained in the analysis of human
behavior, this objection, if valid, could limit hypnosis to a comparative
handful of therapists. Fortunately, it is not valid. This was proved
several years ago when the "Bridey Murphy" craze gripped the country.
Despite the fact that thousands of amateur hypnotists were practicing
hypnosis, little or no harm resulted. I have personally instructed several
thousand medical and non-medical individuals and have yet to hear of a
single case where a crisis was precipitated or anything of a dangerous
or detrimental nature occurred as a result of hypnosis. I have also
taught several thousand persons self-hypnosis and can report the same
findings.
Many patients who seek treatment from competent psychiatrists,
psychoanalysts and psychologists do not always obtain satisfactory
results. This doesn't mean that everyone should stop seeking help from
these specialists. Even a specialist doesn't have a perfect record of
successful therapy.
What then is the objection to hypnosis? The theory that if you get rid of
one symptom another symptom will take its place really holds no truth
and is usually advanced by those who have had little or no experience
in the hypnosis field. However, a difference of opinion does exist even
with those practicing hypnosis in this area. Some hypnotists "trade
down" symptoms by replacing a serious symptom with a minor one,
while others just remove the symptom. The latter is what a doctor does
when he recommends aspirin for arthritis. He knows the aspirin will not
cure the arthritis, but he wants to alleviate the symptom. To say that
another symptom will replace the pain is unscientific--and untrue. The
same is true of hypnosis.

Lewis R. Wolberg, M.D., clinical professor of psychiatry, New York
Medical College, recently canvassed 30 experts in the field of hypnosis
and found a few who felt symptom removal was "irrational,
temporary--or outright dangerous." The large majority, however,
"employed symptom removal where indicated, and minimized or
ridiculed any possible bad effects."
A further objection to hypnosis is that the results are temporary as well
as symptomatic. It is well